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The City is a leader in renewable energy production. The City’s buildings house over 4,500 solar panels, including the State’s largest solar system at Cockburn ARC.

As well as solar, the City has two public wind turbine art projects, uses geothermal for heating pools at Cockburn ARC and provides electric vehicle charging stations in Spearwood and Success.

Renewable energy in Cockburn

The City of Cockburn is leading the way in renewable energy. The City has been harnessing power from the sun since 2009 and has installed more than 4,500 photovoltaic panels on community buildings, producing clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our community.

We couple these efforts with energy efficiency measures, reducing our overall use of energy for City buildings and assets.

Renewable energy targets

The City has adopted a challenging but achievable target of 20% renewable energy by 2020 for all Council buildings. Cockburn is well positioned to meet this target because of its sunny and windy location, which is perfect for creating renewable energy.

The City’s target aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target and demonstrates its commitment to embracing a new energy future.

Renewable Energy Policy

The City developed a Renewable Energy Policy in 2011 to guide residents and businesses on the approval requirements for wind turbines and solar photovoltaic systems. The policy outlines expectations for the installation and operation of renewable energy systems and provides a set of standards to minimise their impact on streetscapes, nearby properties and the natural environment.

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Renewable energy projects

Henderson Waste Recovery Park

Renewable energy is produced at the Henderson Waste Recovery Park (HWRP) by methane extraction and flaring, which not only reduces emissions but manages our waste more sustainably. The methane extraction plant at the HWRP generates enough electricity to power over 3,000 homes. The roof of the Recycle Shop is home to a 3.6 kW solar PV system.

Cockburn ARC geothermal and solar

Cockburn ARC will house WA’s largest rooftop solar installation, with a massive 1MW system made up of 3,592 solar panels. The system will generate approximately 30% of the ARC’s annual power usage, or 1.550 MWH per year. The expected carbon offset will be about 1,170 tonnes a year.

The ARC will use geothermal energy for its heated swimming pools and water play areas. The project will produce an estimated annual saving of $435,000 compared with traditional boilers and provide a 72 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, or 492 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

Solar powered electric vehicles

There are two electric vehicles charging stations at the City’s Civic Centre carpark on Coleville Crescent in Spearwood, and two at the Success Library in Cockburn Central. The stations can charge an electric vehicle (EV) to about 50 per cent within the two hour parking time limit for each bay. They are available during office and community facility opening hours at no cost for the power. The power used by the charging stations is entirely offset through solar panels on the City’s buildings.

The Renewable Energy Vehicle (REV) Project team, sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of WA (RAC) and University of Western Australia (UWA), has donated the charge points for the Cockburn Central site with the City to cover the cost of installation and power connection.

Coogee hybrid wind and solar light

The City has installed a hybrid wind and solar light next to the Coogee Beach Surf Lifesaving Club. This is a free-standing structure made up of a vertical axis wind turbine and a solar panel that both power an LED light. If the wind is blowing and the turbine isn’t spinning, it means that the battery tank, which stores the generated energy, is full. When there is no wind, the solar panel provides energy to batteries.

Cockburn Health and Community Facility

The Cockburn Health and Community Facility is home to a 99kW solar power system. It covers one third of the centre's roof with 423 solar photovoltaic panels. The system generates about 173 megawatt a year. It reduced the centre's greenhouse gas emissions by more than 171 tonnes in the first year and is expected to reduce over 4,284 tonnes over its projected life time.